Sweet piece my buddy just found!!! Hammerstone.

ROCKateer

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quito

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Hey Quito! Lol

Sorry I'm late, but I still agree, that piece can be ruled in or out.

If I would have found it on a site I hunt, I surely would have picked it up too. But, my flower bed/rock garden is getting way to tall. So, being reasonably certain it is not a hammer stone, it would have had to have been a pretty dang obvious grinding stone before it would have been lugged off the site.

Also, I do think the NA's used lots of stones for various purposes that left no sign good of use, it's when we let out imaginations run with those kinds of pieces, it's easy to run into doubters and some that even think we're nuts. I decided long ago not to show things that were not obvious enough that I couldn't explain and show the evidence.
 

monsterrack

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It is our first thought to hold a rock in our hands and say this would have worked for this are that, but in order for it to have been used there would be sign of it being struck a great deal all over the end. Rodney 022.JPG Notice the wear of the stone in the photo, there is no doubt it was used. Now I would have picked up that stone, but with no signs of use I would have left it or brought it home to break it open to see if it was chipping stone.
 

rock

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I don't even save the hammers anymore unless they have eye appeal to them. They have to be special in color and shape or I just chunk them to the side. How many Hammers does one need in their collections?
 

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ROCKateer

ROCKateer

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Right. Like a flood water deposited water polished stone? Just a naturally smooth stone? I find smooth stones in dirt pretty regularly, and the ones that have been used, are usually pretty obvious. That beat up spot on the piece in question, is not the result of any NA hammering, unless of course it is a paleo piece that washed into the crrek and had the hammering marks water worn down. Perhaps someone who see's artifact in that picture of the stone can point out what it is they see.

There are many hammering marks! I guess I should have taken better pictures of this particular portion of stone. Anyway watever it is it is pretty Paleo IMOHO.
 

quito

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There are many hammering marks! I guess I should have taken better pictures of this particular portion of stone. Anyway watever it is it is pretty Paleo IMOHO.

It's not to late to change our minds about it being a hammer stone take the picture and show the hammer use wear. But we can already see better than 80% of that rock, and it shows none.....

Now, saying it is a paleo piece is stretching the imagination and that rock to a whole new level.
 

Charl

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There are many hammering marks! I guess I should have taken better pictures of this particular portion of stone. Anyway watever it is it is pretty Paleo IMOHO.

i think the photos are very much good enough to judge there are no hammering marks shown in those photos. And I must agree with quito that assigning an un utilized rock to the Paleo Period is a flight of imagination, and not evidenced based.

Here are two cobbles showing smooth skin or cortex, exactly like your stone. These make for an excellent comparison to your stone. Your stone may even be quartzite as these two are. Would make good hammerstones, perhaps. And they were, note the obvious battering of the skin or cortex at one end. Your rock does not show this at all and is not a hammerstone. As far as can be seen, your rock is an un utilized cobble. Make note of what battered skin/cortex looks like on a hammerstone so you will understand your mistake and be better able to recognize real hammerstones in the future. If there IS battering and you haven't shown it, I'll stand corrected of course.
 

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rock

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2 nice examples Charl
 

Charl

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2 nice examples Charl

Thanks, rock.

RockATEER, the examples I showed have barely been used, which does make them above average in appearance. Eventually, a hammerstone is going to end up as a beat up, battered to heck, rock. Which is why guys like rock say they leave all but the best looking ones. At the same time, if you're putting together an assemblage of types of artifacts found at a particular site, hammerstones are a part of that assemblage and reflect an activity by prehistoric peoples.
 

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ROCKateer

ROCKateer

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It's not to late to change our minds about it being a hammer stone take the picture and show the hammer use wear. But we can already see better than 80% of that rock, and it shows none..... Now, saying it is a paleo piece is stretching the imagination and that rock to a whole new level.
Ok I will. Lol. Thanks again I just need to stop by my buddies place and take a couple more pics.
 

rock

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Ok I will. Lol. Thanks again I just need to stop by my buddies place and take a couple more pics.

Lets see a close up of the one in your avatar. The point
 

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ROCKateer

ROCKateer

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Lets see a close up of the one in your avatar. The point

Sure thing pal. I found this one about a year ago. And it is prolly one of the best ones I've ever found!!! Here ya go.
 

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redbeardrelics

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Wow, that is one big beautiful point, love the workmanship style and material on that one. What state is that from if you don't mind me asking?
 

rock

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That's one big point its amazing you even spotted it in that instu pic of it. Quartzite or Flint? Very nice colors. Im jealous I just don't find them that big around here. Must of been a bunch of small people where I hunt at. If the point is 2 inches long that is a big one around here.
 

Charl

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That point would be the point of my lifetime if I found it!

Here's a sandstone hammerstone/abrading stone. You can see the surface has been rubbed a lot as an abrader, as well as battering at both ends from use as a hammer....
 

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ROCKateer

ROCKateer

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Wow, that is one big beautiful point, love the workmanship style and material on that one. What state is that from if you don't mind me asking?[/QUOTE

That point is from Kansas area. I'm pretty sure it was used for huge Game. It's around 5 inches. It's a great, large point or spear. Hear are the Hammerstone pounding use marks.
 

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ROCKateer

ROCKateer

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Thanks, rock. RockATEER, the examples I showed have barely been used, which does make them above average in appearance. Eventually, a hammerstone is going to end up as a beat up, battered to heck, rock. Which is why guys like rock say they leave all but the best looking ones. At the same time, if you're putting together an assemblage of types of artifacts found at a particular site, hammerstones are a part of that assemblage and reflect an activity by prehistoric peoples.

Thank you for your explanation and wisdom, you and most folks on this forum are very good!!!
 

rock

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That point would be the point of my lifetime if I found it!

Here's a sandstone hammerstone/abrading stone. You can see the surface has been rubbed a lot as an abrader, as well as battering at both ends from use as a hammer....

So this one looks similar to mine then? I found mine in a field next to the one I find my points in. I haven't found much of anything else. I picked it up due to it being so round. It has 1 smooth spot but isn't as smooth as yours.
 

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